Seven
by Shockey13
Summary: My story for my suggestion 'Fara and Max'. Written to take place in season 4 at an unknown time. May be spoilers for season 4.


A/N: Just something I threw together for my own prompt 'Fara and Max'. I don't know, it all just popped in my head.

* * *

Max sits quietly alone scrolling through the data base, weeding out any potential suspects. He's uneasy as it is being on foreign soil, but the military presence eases his cynical nature. However, the pay had intrigued him and of course he had his own self-proclaimed personal eye candy. He kept having this reoccuring dream of her walking towards him, greeting him on his porch smiling at him, which he carried in his mind all day long.

"Max," Fara says quietly.

"Ye-yeah?" He frantically shifts his attention towards her.

Every time she speaks he gets this way. He feels so lucky just to be in the same room with her. She would never know based on the way he spoke to her though.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm searching through the list again. What does it look like I'm doing?" He says in monotone.

"Oh... shouldn't you be syncing the audio for the meeting that Carrie is having?"

"She told me not to," he responds in all seriousness.

"What? That's not what we discussed earlier. Did she say why?"

He can't even look at her right now. Her angry face is just too much for him.

"No, no," he repeats getting back to his work.

"Max you know something. You need to tell me!"

He'd sworn to keep it a secret, but now it's getting hard to resist.

"Max!" She grabs his shoulder to read his face.

He jumps at her touch and his eyes widen when he turns to her. She's equally stunned when he looks like he's just seen a ghost.

"What is wrong with you?"

"Nothing. Nothing!" He shakes his head over and over.

"Why did you jump like that then?"

"I had a lot of coffee today! You startled me!"

Quinn walks in just then and heads for the coffee.

"What's going on on here?" Quinn asks curiously after briefly reading their expressions.

"Max won't record Carrie's meeting and he won't tell me why!" Fara admits.

"What the fuck Max is this true!?" Quinn questions.

"Well... um..."

"Max you better fucking tell me right now!" Quinn says coming toward him. "What is she doing!?"

"She... uhhh... uhhh...," he nervously looks at Fara who is waiting for a response as well as Quinn.

"Speak mute," Quinn says while taking a hold of his shirt.

"What the fuck is going on in here?" Virgil announces seeing that Quinn has his hands on his little brother.

"Your brother is being an ass," Quinn says releasing his grip.

"What is he talking about Max?" Virgil asks.

Max remains silent being completely overwhelmed.

"Carrie's not online for her meet today," Fara says.

"I can't do it!" Max now shouts in anger.

"Why the fuck not!" Quinn says.

"She's off the grid! She's got nothing! I don't even know where she is!"

Max says even louder now.

"Why couldn't you just tell me Max?" Fara asks disappointed.

"You're lucky he talks to you at all," Virgil says.

"What why?" She questions.

"Because he likes you," Quinn blurts out.

Max, mortified with what just came out, jumps out of his chair pushing right past Virgil and Quinn. How could he ever see or talk to her again?

Fara is quite shocked with what they had said and the way that Max reacted. He'd always been sarcastic and sometimes snappy with her, and for the longest time she believed it was because she was Iranian. Almost to the point to where she wanted to called him out on it.

Soon after he leaves Virgil and Quinn continue to mock him for being a 'pussy'.

"You guys are real assholes you know that!" Fara barks and exits to go find him.

They shrug and start to remember why they were there to begin with.

"Fuck," Quinn says.

"What?" Virgil had almost forgotten.

"We need Max. Go find your brother. Fucking Carrie!"

"You coming with?"

"Yeah."

* * *

Fara returns to the surveillance room a half an hour later deep in thought. Why was it so hard for all of the CIA to express their feelings? She had no trouble doing so, but had noticed how everyone around her was like a ticking time bomb ready to explode at any moment with everything they kept inside. It sets her apart from everyone there and she supposes their secretive lives are what makes them so go at the spy game. But what does that say about her? Could she make it here?

"Oh... hi," Max enters putting his head down.

"Max listen-"

He cuts her off, but not without reason.

"I can get it connected," he informs her brushing off what had happened.

"What? How?"

"I put a chip in her jacket for emergency situations."

"Does she know?"

He's caught off guard.

"Uh yeah... kind of... no. Are you mad?"

She smiles at his answer.

"Not at all. Set it up."

Her grin has made him nervous and he fumbles with his equipment trying to forget that she is there. She knows and he doesn't really know how to act. His snarky little comments were of no use now.

"Two more minutes and we should have full audio," he finally states with his hands glued to the keyboard.

"What the heck is this?" she shouts.

Max is unaware that she is making her way towards him. He rises from his chair rapidly and accidentally turns around so quickly that he finds his face in her chest.

"Uh did I miss something?" Quinn says upon returning.

Max backs away instantly apologizing.

"I...I...I... I'm sorry," he raises his hands, not exactly processing what happened.

Fara is not phased knowing that he didn't do it on purpose, trying not to chuckle, and is more focused on what she had found.

"Where did you get this?" She asks holding it up in front of Quinn and Max.

"You went into my bag?" Max asks slightly agitated.

"Max why the fuck do you have that!?" Quinn is now just as interested as Fara.

"You told me to clean her liquor cabinet while she was out! It was in there!" He directs towards Quinn.

"She keeps a fucking picture of Brody with her booze!" Quinn says in horror.

"I just did what you told me to do!"

"She will kill you if that's missing," Quinn warns him.

The systems finally connect and they begin to hear full audio.

_"I promise_ _I can make it worth your while,"_ they hear Carrie over the speaker.

Everyone's attention diverts at once.

"Hey guys I couldn't-" Virgil now joins them.

"Shhhhhhhh," they all tell Virgil at the same time.

_"Oh yeah, how do_ _you plan on doing that?"_

There are no longer words being heard. Just the distinct sounds of kissing and laughter.

"Well this is awkward," Virgil says putting in his two cents.

"Shut the fuck up man!" Quinn shouts.

It's not too long that they figure out the inevitable and where this was going, even more obvious when they begin to hear moaning.

"Fuck this shit!" Quinn begins to exit. "Max record everything!" He demands.

"Uh bye Max," Virgil says following Quinn.

"I think I'm going to leave too," Fara soon follows suit.

Max buries his head in his hands.

"Fine go."

She reluctantly leaves him there, knowing it was the last place he wanted to be.

* * *

Two hours later he calls Quinn to come and get the tape after Carrie had announced she was leaving. Quinn comes to bitterly retrieve the tape and Max gladly hands it over. They just HAD to make him sit on there that whole time.

"Is there even any fucking intelligence on this?" Quinn presses.

"Yes. 1:34:52.09."

"Glad to know you were paying attention," Quinn slams the door.

"What the fuck is his problem? I'm the one who had to sit here the whole time," Max mutters under his breath.

Max then scrambles to rush out to Carrie's apartment to return the picture. He's then stopped by Fara in the lobby.

"Max!"

He tries the pretend that he doesn't even see her.

"Max stop please!"

"I'm not a perv Fara. If that's what you're thinking," he mumbles in shame.

"No one thinks that. Well I don't. We all left you there," Fara says looking down. "I should have recruited him to begin with."

"It's not your fault Fara, you're a good agent. But look I have to go return this picture so."

He continues moving.

"Wait what are you doing after that?"

Max wants to keep going, but something deep in his conscience makes him turn around.

"I read. That's what I do to clear my mind," he admits.

"Well... before you do that why don't you come to dinner and we'll talk about what you like to read. I read too."

"You do!? What's your favorite book?" He asks more enthusiastically then she's ever heard him.

"Well it looks like you'll have to find out later. Don't you have to go?"

"Well yeah... but-"

"But what? You don't do dinner?"

"Well..."

"What you don't like me?" She teases him.

"No... I mean no I do!" He says overly excited.

"I don't usually swear, but damnit Max I'm asking you on a date!"

"You are!?"

Fara plops her hand on her head and can't help but laugh.

"Yes!"

He fiddles with his bag not believing what he's hearing.

"Look Fara, it's been awhile."

"Okay?" She states in confusion.

"Ha- how does this work again?"

"Pick me up at 7?"

"Oh okay then 7."

A smile forms on his face that will not go away.

"7 then," he repeats.

"Yes 7," she reiterates.

"I'll be there at 7."

"I know you will," she laughs.

"So I'll see you... at 7?"

Embarrassed at not knowing what else to say, he heads out. Hopefully he could find something else to talk about at dinner, besides the fact that he was picking her up at 7. For now all he could do is smile.


End file.
